When I woke up I was really cold. According to my phone it had just 6 degrees.
I made coffee, had breakfast and glazed at the sea and the sun slowly moving up.
At 10am, I was scheduled for my first ever kayaking tour with Dany. He was a caretaker of the site and also the kayak guide.
Originally he was from Yellowhead in the Northern Territory. His parents had moved to Florida when he was 15 and he had hated it there. So he went back to Canada, did a lot of stupid things, survived somehow, and now he had moved here because he could afford to buy a worn down house in Southern Nova Scotia and fix it up.
The sun was out and it was a beautiful calm day. It was rather unusual according to Dany that there were no waves at all.
At first, I felt rather insecure in my little boat and was concerned to I would fall over at any time. But I didn’t and slowly I relaxed a little bit.
When our guide mentioned that there were great white sharks and orca whales out there that did not help with my confidence though.
We luckily did not meet any of these animals. But we saw many seals, dolphins, and a bald eagle instead.
The tour took 4 hours overall and we covered many islands, shallow canals, and even crossed open water which was a little scary due to the waves and the current. It would not be safe to kayak here without a guide.
I also had a chat with Kim, the co-owner of the place. She was a Canadian military child and had lived already in many places in the world.
Her South African husband Werner and she had been working for the UN in de Hague to oversee the controlled destruction of chemical weapons in places like Russia, Syria or China for over 10 years. In 2016 they had quit their jobs because it had become too dangerous and both had retired here.
What a story!
Since word had spread that I was low on supplies, Dany and Werner had also brought muffins, oat meal and other snacks from home. They had even placed quinoa salad, tuna salad and pork chops for me in the fridge. “You gotta eat, man” Dany said.
It was so nice to experience this warmth and hospitality.
When dusk broke I made fire to keep me warm and grill the pork chops.
Meanwhile in Halifax, Shannon and Marco had reached the Atlantic. Well done guys!
What a great day. I will remember this place forever.